Former Monaco Grand Prix winner Juan-Pablo Montoya has not yet found form at McLaren-Mercedes this year, but will the streets of the Principality, the scene of his 2003 triumph, herald a turnaround in the Colombian’s fortunes?
Former Monaco Grand Prix winner Juan-Pablo Montoya has not yet found form at McLaren-Mercedes this year, but will the streets of the Principality, the scene of his 2003 triumph, herald a turnaround in the Colombian’s fortunes?
Montoya this week said his shoulder was “nearly 100 per cent”. The Colombian who returned from a two-race break after fracturing his left scapula over Easter, said the mostly-healed injury was a problem at high-speed Barcelona. “When it’s just a little G load,” the 29-year-old insisted, “it doesn’t matter. It should be okay here (Monte Carlo).”
However, fitness way not be Montoya’s biggest problem at the moment. The Colombian last week admitted that he did not feel comfortable at the wheel of McLaren’s MP4-20, which streaked to victory in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen at Catalunya last week.
Montoya told that the Mercedes-powered car was not yet to his liking. “At the moment it’s a difficult car to drive for me,” the Colombian said. “The problem for me is the car seems to work in a very narrow window.
“For me to make the front tyres work at the beginning of the race is also a big issue,” he added.
If he is unable to get fully to grips fully with his machinery, Montoya’s diamond-studded helmet could bring him luck on Sunday.
Montoya and Räikkönen will be wearing helmets that feature their names in diamonds on them, sponsored by McLaren’s new partner Steinmetz. After the race, the helmets will be auctioned and the proceeds will go to charities chosen by the team.
It took three months to create the two bespoke helmets.
The round, brilliant cut diamonds were cut and polished to exact measurement in one of Steinmetz’s South African factories. The diamonds were placed on the helmet using precise, resin techniques to ensure they remain in place under any race conditions.